The Old Rose Arbor
by MaryFan1
Summary: This is a story based on the Dean Koontz novel What the Night Knows.


THE OLD ROSE ARBOR

By Mary Sammons

Based on a novel by Dean Koontz

Minette Calvino drove along the Los Angeles Freeway from the airport in her rental car. Memories of her childhood flooded her mind as she neared the place she had called home for the first 8 years of her life. She remembered the house, once so beautiful and once so comforting, had become a place to be feared, a place where evil dwelled within every crevice and behind every wall. A place she and her family had fled 30 years before. She wasn't sure why she even paid attention to the letter that came, anonymously to her home, a large loft in Soho. She had inherited her mother's artistic talent and like all artists, she lived in a trendy neighborhood and her home was also her studio. She almost ignored the cryptic letter but decided to call her older brother and sister. They had received the same letter. With their parents gone, tragically killed in a plane crash two years earlier, it was up to them, the children, now adults themselves, to confront the past that somehow had resurfaced. She exited the freeway and headed down a familiar street to the corner house that stood as it had when they left. It had been abandoned several times; no one could seem to live there. She assumed the Hybrid SUV in the driveway was her sister's rental, having flown in from London. That's Naomi, thinking she was being environmentally conscious with 25 MPG on the highway. The car seemed a strange choice for her flamboyant sister, who studied acting and split her time between the New York and London stage.

She got out of the car but didn't see her sister anywhere. She walked to the back of the house and there she found her, by the rose arbor, once so beautiful, now painfully neglected. Naomi turned around when she heard the rustling of leaves behind her.

"Mouse!" She called out as Minette came toward her.

Minette responded to her sister's outstretched arms with a warm hug, "Don't call me mouse!" she said jokingly of her childhood nickname

Naomi smiled, taking her sister's hands in hers, "Ah, Minnie, how are you?" She asked, struck by how much her little sister resembled their mother, Nicole. Her jet black hair and fierce green eyes, indicating their mother's half Native American heritage.

"Well, I'm fine but I am not sure what to make of this. Did you bring the letter?" She asked.

"Yes, of course, but I think it says the same as yours and Zach's. Do you know when he is supposed to arrive?" Naomi noticed a sudden chill in the air and pulled her coat tighter around her.

"He said he would meet us here so I assume he is on his way. I hope he didn't have any trouble getting away." Minette wondered. Their brother was a high ranking officer in the marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and it wasn't always possible to get leave on short notice.

As if on cue they heard a deep voice coming from behind them, "Did someone call my

name?"

They turned to see Zach, a tall imposing man, who had their father's good looks, sandy blonde hair and eyes as blue as the ocean.

"Zach!" The three embraced and then got down to business.

"Alright, let's go inside." Zach suggested

Naomi wasn't so sure it was safe, or if they could even get in, "Zach, the house is abandoned. It's probably not safe and it's probably locked."

"Well, its cold out here so what do you want to do?" He still felt like as the oldest, he should be in charge.

"Let's go to the hotel and talk." Minette suggested and they needed to check in anyway.

They agreed and headed back to their cars but as they drove away no one noticed a curtain in an upstairs window pull back. Someone or something was lurking, waiting for their inevitable return.

After checking in, they met in Zach's room. It was nearing dinner time so they decided with so much to discuss it was best to order room service. While they waited, they compared the letters they had each received. They all said the same thing, and had the same postmark, Los Angeles. The cryptic note was short but chilling:

"Your time has come- Ruin"

Zach had a hard time wrapping his mind around this and if he hadn't lived through the horror of 30 years ago, he wouldn't even believe it.

"Could this be some sort of joke?' he wondered.

Naomi had hoped the same thing but knew that Ruin was no joke, "Zach, who on earth would even know about this to play a joke?"

"I know, I know. It just seems too…too" he trailed off

"Unbelievable." Minette chimed in, sitting at the table staring at her letter.

"You've always had a way with words, Mouse." Naomi observed, flicking a strand of her auburn hair out of her eyes. She had inherited their father's blue eyes, pale skin and his mother's hair color.

Minette rolled her eyes, "Well, would you believe this if you hadn't lived through it?"

"Let's stay focused, shall we?" Zach suggested. His very strong willed sisters hadn't changed a bit.

"Fine, so what do we do? If this is real, how do fight what we can't see?" Naomi asked.

"How did we fight it the last time?" Zach had tried to forget, as they all had, but you never do forget confronting pure evil.

Minette looked up from her letter, "Mom and Dad were here then." She reminded them.

"Well, we're the adults now, Minnie and we have to fight this. It is coming for us." Naomi observed.

"I know that but couldn't we have just ignored this and not come back here? We have good lives." Minette felt like the eight year old girl all those years ago.

Naomi pulled the other chair around to face her sister, looking her in the eye, she brushed Minette's hair away from her face "Oh, Mouse, it's going to be fine. You don't have to be scared. We're here with you."

"Ruin enters people, it takes them over. What if it takes over one of us?" Minette asked.

Naomi stood up, "That's not going to happen. We are stronger than that," She looked at Zach, "We have to be."


End file.
